Encouraging TPLF’s impunity will not end the conflict peacefully: Amb Redwan

Addis Ababa, February 25, 2022 (FBC) – State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussien met at his office on Thursday with a Norwegian delegation led by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, Dr. Henrik Thune, and discussed bilateral issues and current situations in Ethiopia.

At the outset, Ambassador Redwan spoke on the long-term diplomatic relations and cooperation between Ethiopia and Norway further appreciating support for Ethiopia’s green economy and the reform agenda.

Norway has been vocal in expressing concern and putting pressure on Ethiopia especially on human rights and humanitarian access issues during the law enforcement campaign in the Tigray region.

Speaking on the conflict in the north, the state Minister underscored that had there been efforts to understand the inherent nature of the TPLF and the context in which the conflict took place, the conflict would have concluded a long time ago.

Explaining the genesis of the conflict, State Minister Redwan wondered why the international community preferred to echo the victimhood narrative of the TPLF which actually was the belligerent group that attacked government troops driven by greed and superiority complex.

Ambassador Redwan walked the Norwegian delegation through the steps taken to resolve the conflict in the Tigray region, mentioning the release of prominent political figures from prison, the lifting of the state of emergency, and commitments to have an inclusive national dialogue.

He said the federal troops did not enter into Tigray region and the government scaled up efforts to address the challenges of humanitarian access issues in the region.

Overturning all the positive measures by the government, the TPLF chose to launch new attacks in the Northern Afar Region, affecting the humanitarian corridor and the aid supply process.

A viable solution to end the conflict in the north is to squarely condemn the TPLF for committing atrocities and failing to reciprocate the peace overtures of the federal government, he said.

Unless the international community holds the TPLF accountable for its crimes and ceases to embolden the group’s intransigence through deliberate silence, there would be no peaceful conclusion to the conflict, he added.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, on his part, said his country encourages all the recent positive steps taken by the Ethiopian government toward peace.

He also thanked Ambassador Redwan for addressing his concerns candidly and reiterated that his country, as a principle, is concerned over the humanitarian and human rights issues related to the conflict in the North.

He said the Ethiopian government’s concern over the international community’s partial treatment of the conflict that favored the TPLF is understandable.

The discussion between the two sides also included the peace efforts of Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo which they noted should be supported to conclude the conflict peacefully under the auspices of the African Union.